Intel Experts: CIA Penetration by Terrorist Group is ‘Catastrophic’

The recent setback for the U.S. Intelligence Community – specifically CIA – wherein scores of operators working for the Agency were seized by Iranian security forces in Iran and Hizballah, Iran’s proxy army, in Lebanon; speak to two disturbing truths.

The first is that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hizballah, which is both financially and operationally supported by the IRGC, maintains human intelligence and counterintelligence capabilities that are as “formidable” as any fielded by the West.

Secondly, they are aggressively operating against us.

According to Reuters, former CIA operations officer Bob Baer said, “Hizballah’s security is as good as any in the world’s. It’s the best. It’s better than that of the KGB, [the former Soviet spy agency].”

And at least one expert refers to Iran and Hizballah’s aggressive counterintelligence operations and recent success as bordering on war.

Prof. Walid Phares – an advisor to the U.S. House’s Anti-Terrorism Caucus and the author of several books on Jihadist terror (including Future Jihad: Terrorist Strategies Against America), said, “This latest operation by Hizballah’s against a major U.S. intelligence agency is bordering on an act of war. Lebanon is a sovereign country, and a terrorist organization has had the freedom to wage counter-espionage operations against CIA, and they have detained individuals they believe were working with that U.S. agency. If the Lebanese government endorses this operation, it would be responsible for an act of aggression bordering on an act of war against the United States.”

Phares said, “If the Lebanese government considers such operations against a U.S. agency on Lebanese soil as rogue – and conducted without legitimate Lebanese government authority – then it should demand Hizballah cease its activities against the U.S.”

The professor said, the Lebanese government – which receives military support from the U.S. – may raise the matter of U.S. espionage operations in Lebanon in bilateral discussions with the U.S. government. But Hizballah has no legal authority to conduct such counter-espionage operations against what is considered to be an ally of Lebanon.

Rep. Sue Myrick (R.-N.C.), who chairs the U.S. House Intelligence Subcommittee on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counter Intelligence, said both the immediate issue and the threat extend far beyond Iran and Lebanon.

Wednesday, she said, “This operation alleged by Hizballah against CIA resources in Lebanon shows their determination to hurt the United States. This terrorist organization claims their war efforts are only pursued in their war against Israel.”

The congresswoman said, “Their heavy involvement in terror operations against American interests in Iraq and the Gulf area, and in Latin America all the way to Mexico south of our borders, shows clearly that they are targeting U.S. national security.”

This latest claim by Hizballah in Lebanon only adds to their intentions to target U.S. interests, she said.

This should not come as a surprise.

Recall that my colleagues and I have discussed at length the tri-border area of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay that has – according to a 2009 study by the Rand Institute – “emerged as the most important financing center for Islamic terrorism outside of the Middle East.”

But it is the effective penetration of a U.S. intelligence agency by Iran and Hizballah that disturbs most.

Phares said, “The reality is someone who knew of these names must have leaked them to the organization [Hizballah].”

The leak was not an accident, he said.

“That person or persons is either a member of Hizballah or they are working with the terrorist group. The U.S. Congress should investigate the possible penetration Hizballah may have developed over the years enabling it to have these kinds of access to names,” he said

Clare Lopez, deputy director of the U.S. Counterterrorism Advisory Team, said, “Up against Hizballah on its own turf, it seems that U.S. intelligence is out of its league. HIzballah’s intelligence capabilities, learned from the Iranians, are highly sophisticated and include the full classical tradecraft skillset as well as very competent counterintelligence capabilities.”

A former member of the U.S. Intelligence Community, who spoke to Human Events on condition of anonymity, said, “This should come as no surprise to anyone who understands the sophistication of these jihadist enemies and their professionalism in the skills of classical clandestine tradecraft.”

There has been an atrophy of talent inside the intelligence agencies, the source said.

“U.S. Intelligence Community failures to identify, effectively confront, and defeat the Islamic jihadist enemy speak not only to erosion of that skillset within the CIA, but also to catastrophic failure to master an understanding of the enemy ideology, the ideology of Islamic jihad,” the source said.

The former operator said “Intent and motivation are as critical as capability to the enemy’s strategy and absent their accurate assessment, will lead as surely to defeat as failure to measure capability. America’s enemies have penetrated its Intelligence Community in the past and betrayal of top CIA assets abroad has been tracked to moles deep inside the system more than once.”

How this plays out is anyone’s guess for the near future. But what we cannot continue to neglect are the overt threats and activities of Iran and Hizballah, the developing sophistication of their covert capabilities, their global reach and obvious intent, and the fact that – as former Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff said – Hizballah “makes Al Qaeda look like a minor league team.”

Mr. Smith is a contributor to Human Events. A former U.S. Marine rifle-squad leader and counterterrorism instructor, he writes about military/defense issues and has covered conflict in the Balkans, on the West Bank, in Iraq and Lebanon. He is the author of six books, and his articles appear in a variety of publications. E-mail him at marine1@uswriter.com.